Previously, many types of sun shields have been used to provide an effective means for shading a vehicle's driver and Passengers from the direct rays of the sun or other reflective sources. It is a fact that nearly all automobiles and trucks in today's market contain opaque sun visors that are included as standard equipment. Prior art has attempted to extend the utility of these sun visors by appending a transparent auxiliary glare shield or screen beneath or at the side of the existing visors. The reason for this addition is that while most visors generally perform adequately, it is often desirable to Posses a tinted transparent shield through which a driver may see but that also reduces the intense light and bright glare that emanates from many ambient objects.
Attempts to achieve this utility in the past include, clip on glare screens that pivot or slide downward beneath the visor or that swing down from a rotating joint that extends to the desired distance and held in place by friction of the joint. Other devices position a screen inside the visor which can be pulled down or add a side section that can slide horizontally from the visor. These basic attempts fill the need in a rudimentary manner however, they are for the most part unsightly or too complex in construction and operation to be satisfactory to the vast majority of users.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention, however the following U.S. patents are considered related:
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. INVENTOR ISSUED ______________________________________ 2,134,414 Norcross 25 October 1938 2,733,763 Nygaard 7 February 1956 3,208,792 Martin 28 September 1965 3,410,602 Schuler 12 November 1968 3,853,370 Barnhart 10 December 1974 4,323,275 Lutz 6 April 1982 5,472,255 Moore 5 December 1995 ______________________________________
Norcross in U.S. Pat. No. 2,134,414 teaches a glare screen inside a visor which is manually or electrically pulled down to extend beneath the visor.
Pat. No. 2,733,763 issued to Nygaard teaches basically the same structure and function as above in the manual mode with serrations on each side of a rod to retain the shield at a specific location.
Martin in U.S. Pat. No. 3,208,792 discloses a visor attachment that clips on and slides downward for use.
Pat. No. 3,410,602 of Schuler discloses a clip-on device with dual colors that slips downward and rotates to the desired position.
Barnhart's Pat. No. 3,853,370 employs a spring-loaded shield with an extension guide member which latches to a notch for positioning. An adjustable clamping base attaches the device to the visor.
Pat. No. 4,323,275 issued to Lutz teaches a housing attached to a visor with three auxiliary shield that may be withdrawn from slots in the visor.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,472,255 issued to Moore teaches a sun visor which has a retractable sun screen. The screen is folded or rolled up into the visor for deployment beside the front window as well as the windshield.
For background purposes and as indicative of the art to which the invention relates reference may be made to the remaining cited patents.
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. INVENTOR ISSUED ______________________________________ 1,958,934 Williams 15 May 1934 3,954,297 Linke, et al 4 May 1976 4,728,142 Gavagn 1 March 1988 4,828,314 Gavagn 9 May 1989 4,919,469 Aizawa 24 April 1990 4,988,139 Yamada 29 January 1991 5,478,131 Marks 26 December 1995 ______________________________________